1. Field of the Invention
The subject disclosure relates to methods and systems for weather radar signal processing, and more particularly to improved methods and systems for high sensitivity, fine range resolution and adequate suppression of Integrated Side Lobe (ISL) and Peak Side Lobe (PSL) in meteorological radar imagery.
2. Background of the Related Art
The modern explosion in wireless communication such as cell phones, wireless networks, and other broadcasts has created competition for frequency allocations and the potential for interference. Avoidance of interference from one system to another has created tight tolerances and a need to stay within an allocated range. As a result, longstanding applications like meteorological radar are being constrained to improve control over the emission of frequencies and peak power levels.
Historically, in the scope of meteorological radar, systems have been demonstrated that utilize pulse compression techniques, but such systems produced poor results. The constraints of technology and/or economics have further prevented operationally realizing a commercial system. Specifically, in the past, systems employing pulse compression techniques have shown poor results in obtaining ISL values sufficiently suppressed for practical use in meteorological radar over the range of target Doppler velocities expected to be measured by meteorological radar. High suppression of ISL values is not required in some other non-meteorological radar applications, but is particularly critical for meteorological radar. The high suppression of ISL is required because the targets measured in meteorological radar often span many cubic kilometers of area as opposed to point targets such as aircraft or missiles measured by other types of radar systems. The result of these past implementations was high ISL values that blurred the meteorological images. Thus, false readings, irresolvable echoes, breakthrough of ground clutter and other image contaminants rendered such techniques as poor options.